The Rogue is, I think the class that suffers the most from the return to the old subclass feature cadence - waiting all the way until level 9 to get their second feature is a pain. I do think Cunning Strikes could be a really cool feature, so it's good that this come in to make up for that pain, but I sort of wish that they could make an exception to this reversion for the Rogue specifically.
Anyway, let's get into the subclasses.
Arcane Trickster:
3rd level:
So, the big changes to Spellcasting are that you only need two of your initial three known spells to be Enchantment or Illusion, but it looks like any further spells you learn can be of any school. Also, rather than the Wizard spell list, you now use the Arcane list.
You do, however, wind up learning fewer spells - only a total of 11 spells known by level 19 and only 3 cantrips (compared to 13 and 4, respectively).
You still automatically get Mage Hand, which doesn't count against this number.
Mage Hand Legerdemain is a little simpler, though I think the special mention of stowing and retrieving objects should still work, but doesn't need mentioning. In fact, I think this feature has basically had the wording cleared up (and also incorporates the new Tool Proficiency to make lockpicking a Sleight of Hand check that can apply the tool bonus).
9th level:
Magical Ambush now benefits from the Invisible condition, because now being hidden from someone gives you the invisible condition. This should work the same way in practice.
13th level:
Versatile Trickster has changed. With Steady Aim now a baseline Rogue ability, this instead gives you the option to target a second creature within 5 feet of your Mage Hand when you use the Disarm or Trip options for Cunning Strike.
Notably, because you only have to hit the primary target, this is one possible way to get your Cunning Strike effect on a very highly-armored foe.
17th level: Spell Thief
This feature is essentially unchanged. My concern, though, is that the rising prevalence of caster stat blocks who often aren't casting spells could make this harder to use
Of course, Booming Blade, a classic Arcane Trickster spell, isn't in the 2024 PHB (as far as I can tell,) but the Arcane Trickster is a solid subclass that seems to be getting only slight tweaks (apart from Versatile Trickster).
Assassin:
As a note, the Assassin is a subclass I've always felt shocked by in that its middle two features in the 2014 PHB are basically nothing - giving you benefits that are very RP-heavy and something that feels more like the sort of thing a good DM would reward anyone for doing. So, does the Assassin actually get real features now? Let's check it out.
3rd level:
Assassins get the same bonus proficiencies as before.
Assassinate is a bit different. You now get advantage on Initiative rolls. During the first round of each combat, you have advantage on attacks against any creature that hasn't taken a turn. If your Sneak Attack hits any target during that round, they take extra damage equal to your Rogue level.
So, the latter part kind of replaces the auto-crit on surprised targets. I think Surprised as a condition is kind of going away, so this makes sense. Technically, the advantage is slightly worse than it was, as you could previously get the bonus against monsters that came to a fight late. And the only requirement for the bonus damage is now that it's the first round and you get Sneak Attack (easier to get thanks to the first part). Now, if we just compare damage, at level 3, that's 3 extra damage compared to, say, 3d6 (average 10.5) extra damage with a shortsword. At level 20 we're talking 20 extra damage versus 11d6 (38.5 average). The thing is, you are way more likely to actually get this bonus with the new system, so it probably balances in your favor.
9th level:
Infiltration Expertise also incorporates the bonus of Imposter, and you no longer have to spend any set amount of time or money. Again, though, as a DM I'd probably give you advantage on Deception checks while using a disguise without this feature. It's still a kind of wishy-washy feature, even if it's a little better.
13th level:
Envenom Weapons is the brand-new feature here. When you use the Poison option for Cunning Strike, the target takes 2d6 Poison damage any time it fails a saving throw, and this ignores resistance to poison damage.
To back up a moment, the Poison cunning strike costs 1d6 sneak attack damage and causes the target to become poisoned for 1 minute if they fail a con save (they repeat the save at the end of their turns to lose the condition). What's interesting is that this can potentially get you more damage than what you sacrificed to get the effect, albeit with a chance to save against it.
I actually love the idea of foregrounding poison as an Assassin theme, though we'll have to see how many monsters are immune to poison damage to see how well this will work - if all Constructs and Undead and a lot of fiends and elementals and celestials are all immune to poison, that's going to be a problem.
17th level:
Death Strike, like Assassinate, no longer requires the target to be surprised, only for it to be the first round of combat and that you get a sneak attack. There's still a con save to avoid this
So, I think we're looking at buffs to this subclass, but I think they probably haven't gone far enough. I still think the level 9 feature is kind of nothing, and would like to see that as a kind of "ribbon" on top of something more likely to be useful.
Swashbuckler:
Flavor-wise, the Swashbuckler is an obvious inclusion for the PHB Rogue - the classic "dashing rogue" archetype.
3rd level:
Fancy Footwork is, I believe, totally unchanged. Likewise, Rakish Audacity only gets some changes to its wording, but the same functionality.
9th level:
Panache, however, has seen a redesign. This now gives you two new Cunning Strike options.
"Goad" works similarly to the old version of Panache, but rather than making a Persuasion check contested by their Insight, they now simply make a Wisdom save against your Cunning Strike DC (which is based on your Dexterity). The effect only lasts until the end of the target's next turn. This costs 1d6. This effect no longer gets broken by others attacking the target, though of course it's a far shorter duration.
"Awe" costs 3d6, and is a new effect that causes all creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom save, becoming Charmed by you until the end of your next turn if they fail.
So, one of the ironies here is that you will be able to use these features even with a very low charisma - you'll still probably want it for the initiative bonus. Goad will probably see a lot of use - of course, thanks to Fancy Footwork, you'll be able to get away from foes you strike, and given that this no longer takes your action, you'll be getting some damage in with it. I think this will see more use.
13th level:
Dashing Strikes is brand new, replacing Elegant Maneuver. This adds two new Cunning Strike options again.
"Parrying Stance" costs 2d6 and lets you roll a d6 and add the number rolled to your AC until the start of your next turn.
"Invigorate" also costs 2d6 and lets you choose a target you can see within 30 feet and give them a d6 to add to an attack roll or saving throw until the end of the creature's next turn.
Interestingly, I feel like these are similar effects to things a Swords Bard can do. Invigorate is a mini-Bardic Inspiration (though not as forgiving as the new version of that) but with unlimited uses. Parrying Stance has the potential to make you much harder to hit. I'm not sure either of these are profoundly exciting, but they could both see use.
17th level:
Master Duelist has been redesigned. Rather than giving you a once-per-rest reroll of an attack with advantage, now you simply get to make a second attack against a target you hit with a Sneak Attack if you are within 5 feet of it and no others are within 5 feet of you (your normal Rakish Audacity scenario).
So, the old version could turn a miss into a hit with sneak attack even if you previously didn't have the chance to get sneak attack. This will give you a sort of "Extra Attack" feature under ideal circumstances. I suspect the latter is better - Rogues getting more chances to get off Sneak Attack is usually a huge boon to their damage, whereas this requires you to have already gotten it.
So, I can't really decide if this whole redesign of the subclass constitutes a buff or not. Parrying Stance might help the one Rogue subclass that really pushes you into melee combat. But I think this will probably be a decent subclass.
Thief:
We're now, of course, getting a revised version of the One D&D Thief, which was our first previewed subclass.
3rd level:
Fast Hands now brings back the ability to use an object as a bonus action, rather than take the Search action, but it also specifies that you can use a Magic action to use a magic item that requires this action.
Second-Story Work's Climb Speed has been enhanced, allowing you to move on ceilings as long as there is a handhold (not quite as good as the Dhampir's spider climb, but still good). You also get to use Dexterity for jumping rather than Strength.
9th level:
Supreme Sneak has been redesigned. Now, it gives you a new Cunning Strike option, "Stealth Attack," which costs 1d6. Using it, if you have the invisible condition thanks to having taken the Hide action, attacking does not break that condition as long as you end the turn behind three-quarters cover or total cover.
So, that's actually kind of nutso. Obviously, one of the classic Rogue turn-cycles is attack and then cunning action hide, but still, this lets you not have to worry about making another check, and narratively, the foe never clocking where you are.
13th level:
Use Magical Device works like its previous playtest version, but that's different from the old version, so to be clear:
You can attune to a fourth magic item. If you use charges on a magic item, you can roll a d6 and, on a 6, you don't expend any of the charges. And you can use any spell scroll from any spell list, but if it's a 2nd level spell or higher, you need to make an Arcana check with a DC equal to 10 + the spell's level, lsoing the scroll without the spell on a failure (and using Intelligence as your spellcasting ability).
So, notably, you can't use magic items that are class-restricted (unless there's a Rogue-specific item, of course) but I wonder if they're moving away from that design? Fast Hands will, of course, also let you use these items as a bonus action. The real question here is if something like Staff of the Magi still requires certain classes to attune to it. But this feature is probably going to more often be useful.
17th level:
Thief's Reflexes once again gives you two turns on the opening round of combat, but there's no mention of Surprise (which I think is no longer going to be a condition - I think sneaking up on foes just gives you advantage on initiative).
So, some tweaks, and in some cases some reversions to popular and flashy things from the 2014 version. I think we're still looking at a solid, classic Rogue archetype.
So, overall, I think this is all pretty decent, if not mind-blowing. I do think the Assassin level 9 feature needs something more substantial, but I think we've got a good spread of subclass options here.
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